Red Eyes
by AtinBralor
Summary: Kom'rk is injured in a remote location. Some Null action, brotherly care etc. As always, I hate summaries! Appearances from Nulls, possibly Omega RC, Vau, Skirata etc.
1. Chapter 1

Red Eyes – Chapter 1

Red eyes. Stalking, stealthy and sleek; the predator moved in the shadows. Its teeth and claws didn't pierce the armour as it attacked but it did knock him off balance.

The gravel slid away from his feet as he stumbled; struggling to gain some footing as his slide began to gain speed. The creature pushed with its hind feet, determined not to let him get away, crunching its jaws into his shoulders and bringing him crashing to the ground with its powerful claws gripping into his torso and legs.

_Crack: the sound of plastoid alloy armour giving way under extreme pressure from powerful jaws._

He couldn't do anything to get free, his arms automatically moving to protect his neck, unable to reach for his blaster. The slide had gathered so much momentum he now found it impossible to slow his descent although he tried desperately to splay his legs in the hope of utilising any projections.

His issues with slope descent came to an abrupt halt as the ground fell away under them. The jaws let him go but any joy was short lived as he found himself hitting rocks with painful regularity until the space became too narrow for him to continue and he was wedged with no ability to move or relieve the pressure. For a few seconds he stared up at the sky, watching the dark eyes prowling the lip of the fissure but the view was beginning to fog and merge. He couldn't move to touch his gauntlets and his HUD hazed, full of flashing warnings that he was unable to focus on. He activated his emergency link, preparing to issue a code red, knowing full well that no Republic Forces would be anywhere near this remote location. But his brothers…maybe even an ARC or two…might just get the message…Kal'buir…

_No…no…_

It was too late, the message was beaming out and through the haze of pain, he realised that his adoptive father would be senseless with panic.

_I hope Ordo's with him…look after him for me, ner vod. _

His HUD blinked on and off, flickering sporadically. _Must have been hit harder than I thought…_

He felt the cold soaking to his body and realised that his back was resting a few inches deep in water. _The teeth and claws had damaged the suit's integrity…hypothermia…contamination…_

In the seconds that his HUD lit each flicker he was aware of stored messages flashing across the screen but the power didn't last long enough to allow him to respond. He saw the codes; all five of his brother's names. _A'den was definitely too far away but hopefully Jaing was somewhere in the sector. Prudii and Mereel were always an unknown quantity but Ordo would be with Skirata. _

…_Skirata…Kal'buir. That code was flashing across his vision even more frequently than those of his fellow Null ARC's. _A few unknown codes appeared, confirming receipt of his distress signal but warning that they were too far away to offer assistance. _Of course, only one clone, not worth a large diversion…_

Fear gripped him, realising that he really was alone until one of his brother's tracked his beacon. He couldn't feel the pain as pain. It was an intense sensation across his entire body and he couldn't begin to pinpoint injuries.

Jaing's voice rang in his ear, calling his name as the HUD relit again, but he couldn't reply; his mind was fogged with pain and confusion.

'_Kom'ika…Kom…ner vod…' _

_Please come and find me, please don't give up on me. Don't forget me._

'_Kom'ika, I'm tracking you, vod'ika. I'm nearest…'_

Why now? It was so close to bang out time. Desertion… _I don't want to die just as I get a chance to live…_

Ordo's calming voice flooded his helmet and he felt a small notch of comfort from the Captain. _'Kom'rk, we're coming for you. Jaing'll be with you quickest….' _The voice trailed off; Ordo was scared, he could hear the tension in his voice.

'_Ad'ika? Can you hear me?' _

Kal'buir; the voice which had made everything okay ever since they were 2 and 4 years old. He struggled against the haze. "…'buir?" The sound of his voice was alien even to his own ears; tight and accented with a wheeze. He tasted bile in his throat. _Don't throw up, don't throw up…you'll choke on your back like this. Breathe in…breathe out…_

'_Don't be scared, Kom'ika. I won't let anything happen to you son.' _ The voice was hoarse with emotion. _'Trust me, we're all coming for you. You're going home.'_

Ordo cut back in again, obviously standing beside their buir. _'Jaing has you, ner vod. ETA: 50 minutes. We're nearer 6 hours off so we'll wait till he has you clear then RV back home, we're too far out to help.' _ He paused for a fraction of a second to gather himself. _'K'oyacyi, Kom'rk. We'll keep the line open until you're safe…'_

The darkness rose up thicker and began to take over his consciousness. It was like tendrils dragging him down and he couldn't even begin to resist. He'd made contact and could do no more.

His muscles relaxed as he passed out, allowing him to slip a little deeper into the freezing water.


	2. Chapter 2

Red Eyes – Chapter 2

_Scattered gravel…flattened shrub…blood_

Jaing slithered down the slope, keeping his balance with an outstretched hand, following the trail of turmoil. When he got to the edge of the slope and peered over the ledge he was expecting to find some sign of his brother and was already planning extraction, but the crevasse was empty, the river crashing through the rocks at the bottom. He sat back on his haunches and pulled up his tracking coordinates, clarifying that this was the location that his brother had called from. He knew he wasn't wrong. He was never wrong.

_Shab._

He started to make his way back up the slope, attempting to track his link to Kom'rk's armour system while comming Kal again. "Buir? He's moved. I…" He didn't get any further than that because a shape had launched at him from among the rocks, attempting to get a grip on him. He ducked and rolled automatically, feeling the pain where the claws gripped below his shoulder plates but still coming up firing. His shots missed but sent the creature fleeing, leaving him gasping in shock and pain. "Fierfek…haar'chak…"

'_Jaing? Ad'ika, what happened?' _Kal sounded like he was at the end of his tether.

Ordo's voice broke in through the confusion. _'Sitrep, ner vod.' _He sounded calmer than Skirata, but there was still a tension in his voice.

Jaing continued up the slope, paying a lot more attention to his surroundings now. He rolled his shoulder, feeling the wetness where the claws had penetrated his under suit. "Ordo…shab…" He sat down heavily, keeping his blaster in his hand. "Something big just took a swipe at me. I didn't hear it until it was on me."

There was silence for a few moments before Ordo spoke again_. 'Vau's twenty minutes away. Sit tight and wait for him. See if you can get a location on Kom'rk again. Are you hurt?'_

Jaing sighed, not wanting to be told to stay still. Time was of the essence but he knew that Ordo was right. The attack had made it clear that going in alone was dangerous. His shoulder throbbed furiously but there was nothing he could do for it right now. No way was he taking armour off to slap bacta on it. "Copy that." He was concentrating so much on tracking Kom'rk's signal that he missed Ordo's question.

'_Are you injured, ner vod?'_

Oh, yeah…shab. "No Ord'ika. Just bruised; the armour did its job." _A little white lie. _He kept half his attention on the 360 view in his HUD, unwilling to be victim to another predatory ambush. Kom'rk's signal was faint and around five klicks east of his original location. A safe bet would be that he had been carried downstream by the river because that followed the direction of flow. Any attempts to comm him failed; the unit must have been damaged, but he was hopefully still traceable and that was something.

'_Sit tight. Vau has your location. Ordo out.'_

* * *

The hand that had reached out to tug his blaster from his belt jolted Kom'rk from his barely conscious daze. As his hand shot out to grab the wrist in a steel grip he was met by an unexpected ear piercing scream and a painful jolt as boots kicked into his side in their haste to scrabble backwards. He could see clouds through the blank screen of his HUD. The rough trip downstream seemed to have done for its remaining attempts at life. He turned his head slowly to track the noise. A startled young woman was standing a few metres away with a look of terrified horror on her face. Her clothes were messy and damaged but he felt he could pass no comment considering the state of his armour…

Everything hurt…absolutely everything…and he was freezing cold. The rips in his under suit had let water in and chilled him_._ He blinked hard and rolled slowly over to raise himself up onto his knees. It was fire; he had to have broken bones at least but right now there was no time to rest. After a few failed attempts, he managed to get to his feet. _K'atini, Kom'rk, nar dralshy'a._

His surroundings spun in an unpleasant manner and he carefully tugged his helmet off, clipping it to the back of his belt and leaning forward with his hands braced on his knees. He stayed like this for a few minutes but nothing came of the nausea. He could feel her approaching him again so placed a hand warningly on his holster, ensuring that he still had his weapon. She had retreated without taking a hold of it.

"Are you hurt?" Her voice was soft and nervous but she continued to inch towards him, hands outstretched to prove that she meant no harm. "You're bleeding…"

He stood up straight again, wincing visibly but stopping short of the groan that was screaming behind his lips. "Who are you?" He wasn't trusting. He worked with nobody and most of his contact in his short life had been restricted to his brothers and Kal or the enemy. Females were an unexplored concept to him and he was unwilling to be lulled into a false sense of security. "What are you doing here? This is meant to be uninhabited."

A momentary expression of deep emotion crossed her face but she crept the final few steps to his side, looking him in the eye. "My name's Venra. I've been stuck here since we crash landed. They killed my husband…my daughter…" She reached out to touch him, moving quickly to mask her sudden flare of sadness.

It was a mistake to move fast around a Null and he had struck out before his brain caught up with his hands. His punch wasn't as forceful as it could be and it sent a sickening wave of pain up to his shoulder, but it was enough to send her staggering back with a cut to her lip. Her jaw trembled and tears began to flow down her cheeks, but she was persistent. This time he allowed her to approach and slowly make unthreatening moves to take his arm. He took a few steps away from the river, letting her lead him. The spike of adrenaline that had made him strike out had evaporated as quickly as it had formed, leaving him feeling exhausted and shaken. If push came to shove, he could restrain her in seconds but right now, he decided he needed to trust this other human.

* * *

Mird loped through the undergrowth with its nose in the air, surprisingly quiet for a six legged shambles of golden fur and teeth. It was in its element, tracking the scents through the trees while Jaing and Vau jogged silently behind.

Time was still on their side as the daylight had held, making it easier to keep an eye on their surroundings. At one point Mird had come to a halt, snarling and growling at apparent nothingness, but it had been the warning they'd needed to have their weapons raised and fire warning blasts at the creature stalking them. So far they had seen nothing but shadows and movements around them in the thick trees but Mird knew it was around.

Vau ran at a crouch, trying to watch the dark cracks below an outcrop of rock, feeling the distinctly eerie chill creeping up his spine. He was out of breath but keeping up with the much younger man. If the terrain had been more suitable for running, he might have been struggling to keep up, but as it was the undulations kept their pace at a steady jog.

Jaing was only a few metres ahead of him, rifle held against his shoulder when he suddenly went down. Vau was so absorbed in watching Mird's movements that he nearly collided with the younger man, having to swing his arm wildly to keep his balance. For a fraction of a second, he thought the Null had tripped, but Nulls didn't trip of tree roots in the forest and he growled a command to the strill to stand guard. He laid down his own rifle and tried to encourage the man to his feet with a jerk of his arm and a string of obscenities, but he stop as Jaing coiled himself tighter in to a ball. As he moved, the blood on his back plate became more visible. The positioning of his pauldron had kept it obscured before. He shook his head in frustration, firmly uncurling the body so that he could feel under the armour. The commando was trembling uncontrollably. "Were you bitten…clawed?"

Jaing made a noise as if to reply but it was just a garbled groan.

Vau shook him firmly, casting a glance to check on Mird. "You didn't clean it or treat it, you di'kut. You've run it into your system." He could hear the strill growling quietly and took it as an early warning to get moving. He manoeuvred and tugged until he got the Null across his shoulders, grunting under the weight. "Plan B, Mird. This chakaar needs first aid and medical assistance before he poisons himself." He waved to the strill to move off, hefting his burden and retracing their steps back towards his ship, sending a message to Kal as he jogged. "Requesting medical assistance for Jaing; he wasn't entirely honest with his medical report. Trust your boys to be stupidly brave..."

* * *

**_Not too much change in this particular chapter - but a change in plot. Thanks for reading. ~ Atin_**


	3. Chapter 3

Red Eyes – Chapter 3

Out of the corner of her eye she saw him stumble for what seemed like the hundredth time in the past hour. She hefted the bag which she had crammed full of the remaining supplies form the crashed ship and paused to wait for him to regain his composure.

She had taken a small blaster from the storage trunk and tucked it in her belt. She had no idea how to use it; it had belonged to Sonne, but the bang had been enough to keep her safe so far. It didn't matter that her aim was horrific.

She had thought him dead and had intended to take anything useful from his body but he had reared up the second her hand touched his gun; a white plastoid droid 'd never seen a trooper in the flesh before and the helmet made him seem less human. When he had removed it though, she'd been shocked to see such a young man standing before her.

He was murmuring under his breath occasionally, almost as if he were coaching himself step at a time. She kept catching the same word. _K'atini._ She didn't even know what the language was, let alone what he was saying, but she was content to let him ramble to himself. It let her concentrate on what she needed to do. He needed treatment but there wasn't a lot of room for two people. _ Maybe he could get a message out for help. Surely a soldier had means of communication built into that armour. His helmet had been badly damaged, judging by the gash curving around his left eye that had bled copiously down the side of his face making him look even more macabre, but surely there would be means to still make contact. It was worth the risk of taking a heavily armed stranger under her wing. Was there even going to be enough for them to eat? _Her supplies were limited and already running out; she had been supplementing it with some edible fruits but splitting it in half would be a serious dent. _But then, it'll run out eventually even without him, and I'll still be stuck here. What's to lose…_

There was also the part of her that couldn't live with walking away. To leave someone to a savage death was unthinkable. She'd never be able to live with herself if she left him to be ripped limb from limb.

He was getting slower now and she wanted to offer a shoulder to lean on but her lip still ached from his armoured punch. She'd startled him - she understood that - but she'd never been struck by a man before and it had shaken her more than she wanted to let on. He towered over her; 6ft of solid muscle encased in unforgiving white armour. He had blue markings and material to his uniform but that meant nothing to her. _Maybe it was his regiment, but then why was he here alone? Maybe he hadn't been alone to start with…_

That thought made her shudder, realising that maybe he had lost friends to those creatures. They could open the armour with those fangs, as easy as if it were the skin of a fruit. _Don't think about it…don't think about the bad…it didn't happen, he's still a mountain of intimidation - not even remotely disembowelled. _

He was watching her – he must have noticed her shudder so she pulled herself together and indicated forward through the trees. "Not much further. Another half a klick, maybe less…" Even half a klick was a long way to go, judging by his limp that that getting more and more pronounced. She watched him fumble in his belt pouch and jab a shot into his neck. He had a wonderful sense of self control; he'd been putting one foot in front of the other, following her dutifully through the thick forest without making any complaint, despite his obvious injuries. He had kept one of his blasters in his right hand and no matter how many pointed looks she gave it, he wouldn't put it away – he made it clear he didn't trust her defensive skills.

The sky was beginning to get heavy, heralding the impending darkness and she needed him to get moving. They had around two hours of daylight left…plenty time to get back, but she didn't like playing it so close to the line.

The final leg of the journey was easier. Whatever he injected had either masked the pain or given him a boost because they made record time. When they reached the river she led him up a rocky scramble and then came to a halt at the edge of a vertical drop. A large gap in the rocks dropped down into a small chasm and it was easy enough for them both to get to this point. She could crawl through a further narrow aperture that dropped into the hidden chamber that she had found. It was the only safe place but it wasn't exactly a home from home. She'd managed to scavenge enough from the badly damaged ship to provide a light source and some blankets for keeping warm at night, but her 'kitchen' was a fold out box containing her few remaining supplies and some bits of fruit, and her 'fresher', a basin that could be taken out at daybreak to be emptied. It wasn't the most comfortable of sanctuaries, but it was safe, even at night. It hadn't been so bad crammed in with Sonne and Kita, but to share the space and ridiculously crude facilities with a stranger was undesirable, to put it mildly.

He had a harder time squeezing in because of his armour and she had to guide him in as he was blindly wriggling through boots first, but he tolerated the assistance, giving a few noises of sharp discomfort as he contorted himself between the rocks. Once he was in, he could just stand upright in the small void. The floor space amounted to a pitiful rough circle of four metres diameter with a ceiling height that just made standing possible, although he still had to slouch slightly.

She reached for the lamp to provide some light and watched him as he reached to gingerly assess his injuries. There was no point beating about the bush so she cleared her voice to get his attention. "You're bleeding." She cringed as she realised she was stating the obvious. "Did one get a hold of you? They have horrible bacteria so if it's from them we need to treat it now. Time is of the essence." She watched him pause to regard her; his gaze seeming to dissect her as if deciding if she were a threat or not. He was a handsome man, when she took the time to look past the blood and intimidation factor. His skin was several tones darker than hers and his hair almost a jet black. As she examined his face in the spot light of his gaze, she could see that he had a small amount of facial hair marking the line of his jaw, which struck her as strangely informal for a soldier.

He blinked and gave her a slight nod. "Penetrating claw wounds – I don't think they're deep." He prodded slowly at the gaps between the armour at his thigh and hip. "I have a medkit."

She nodded, already having noted the vast array of equipment he seemed to be carrying. "Can you take the armour off for me? Any cut from those creatures needs to be dug out thoroughly. It's the bacteria that kills, not the wound. Sonne and Kita were bitten – I couldn't control the infection from a bite. I just got a scratch. It's painful but if the wound is opened up and drained thoroughly it becomes possible to…" She trailed off, watching in fascination as he started removing each section. It was impressive kit but even without it, he was still extremely well built, and the clinging black under suit highlighted every muscle. She lowered her gaze to the floor, occupying her hands with digging through her own supplies for medical items. She still couldn't help noticing that the smooth black fabric left absolutely nothing to the imagination. _Focus_, she scolded herself silently, moving to his side. "Sit down, please; this'll be a little unpleasant." Her hands moved very slowly to touch his injured shoulder. He'd pulled away a section of the suit to expose the area, trying to poke and feel with his own fingers. She coaxed his hands away and began the laborious process of opening up the wounds with a small scalpel and flushing out the cavity. He was stoically brave; barely wincing even when she knew it was a painful thing to do. _She'd done it to her own leg because Sonne had been too ill to help her._ She scrubbed the edges of the wound and smeared a thick layer of bacta gel in and around the area. "What about your leg?" She gave the tear at his hip a glance, wondering how they were going to get around this one with modesty intact.

He prodded the area with cautious interest, sizing up the wound in comparison to his shoulder. "I'll manage that one myself, ma'am."

The formality was jolting from someone who had punched her. "Venra…" She cocked her head and eyed her supplies. "And you won't manage yourself…you're shaking…"

It was true. The stim was wearing off rapidly and he was coming down hard. He didn't have time to argue because he had a feeling that he'd be struggling soon. "Okay…okay…but let's do it quickly. That was a stimulant I took earlier – strong and short; I'm crashing now." He reached for the under suit seam, indicating the barely perceptible line where it could be opened up around the top of his thigh. "Suits are designed for easy medical access…"

Be that as it may; his quiet confidence in his equipment did nothing to remedy Venra's bashful caution. It sure made sense as a well thought out bit of kit, but that made no amends to her. She was sure the blush was spreading over every inch of her body. _Stop it, you're a grown women…_ "All the same soldier, here's a blanket…"

* * *

**_A big thank you to LongLiveTheClones for listening to the 'how am I going to re-write this' rambles, and of course for all the advice in the first place. ~Atin_**


	4. Chapter 4

Red Eyes – Chapter 4

The sun was setting fast outside their bolt hole and the rays barely cast a glow anymore. The lamp had been lit and sat on the rocky floor between them.

Venra sat with her back against the cave wall, watching her new companion. He had taken a position directly opposite her, but he was curled up tight; his knees drawn up to his chest and his face buried in his folded arms. There was a familiar tension in the lines of his body and she understood the pain he was going through, although she was sure he probably had more injuries than just the scratches. He wasn't in a fit state for any more medical intervention tonight. Any further treatment would have to wait.

The noises were beginning to build outside, preying on her already frayed nerves, but he was too absorbed in his own discomfort to notice. He sat up slowly and fumbled through his medkit, staring at the collection of single use syringes before shoving them all back in to the bag. If he took another dose he'd be past the accepted maximum, and there was no benefitting in exceeding these guidelines as the narcotic build up negated any positive results.

He didn't say anything; he just stared across the lamp at her. His eyes were sunken and dark, made all the worse by the extreme contrasts cast by the glowing light.

His disconnected stare was making her feel nervous, his attention was fixed towards her but there was no recognition in his eyes. She cocked her head slightly and raised a hand to wave it in front of his face. "Soldier?" He didn't react to her prompts and had gone as white as a sheet. She reached for her 'fresher basin and poked it gently but insistently against his shins. "Hey soldier, keep it contained."

He rolled his head a little, ignoring the irritating prodding. "…'m fine." He prided himself on his beskar constitution; nothing turned his stomach…even if it did currently feel like it was turning somersaults. The light was hurting his eyes and all he wanted to do was sleep, but instead of sleep, all he got was a feeling of disjointedness where his mind seemed to float free and he could no longer focus. It was like a wave of black encroaching upon his mind and there was nothing he could do to…

Venra leapt forward to steady him as his eyes rolled back and he started to tremble. It was contained movement and he was relatively stable as he sat but she gripped his elbow until the trembling stopped. As she sat back he lurched forward to grab her basin; resting it between his shins so that he could empty his stomach without moving from his curled position. She moved the lamp light further from the entrance to the cave and dragged the bowl of fresh water down beside them. "I thought you were fine, soldier…" Her tone was light; slightly joking, in a distant attempt at comfort. If she had known him she might have taken him into her arms and comforted him, massaged the aches from his muscles, stroked away his fever with a damp cloth…but he still held a degree of terror for her. He was more intimidating than she'd ever imagined a trooper would be.

He raised his head to look her in the eye, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. His hair was plastered to his forehead and sticking up in random tufts; he seemed to have a habit of running his hands over his scalp when he was uncomfortable – a distraction technique of sorts. "I'm not a soldier, ma'am." He ducked his head again, leaving her to wait patiently until he was ready to continue. He cleared his throat and spat in to the bowl before returning her gaze. "ARC Lieutenant N-6 – Kom'rk."

She stared at him, trying to work out what he had said; the only thing she had recognised was the word 'lieutenant'. "Can you explain what you just said? You're a clone trooper – part of the republic army – aren't you?" She recognised the armour from footage on the holonews although his was a little more elaborate, which must be something to do with his rank.

Kom'rk gave a long sigh, his head resting on his folded arms to stare down at his own thighs. He didn't understand what was so confusing. _Why did civvies never understand what you said to them? _It was like interacting with another species to a highly trained but isolated warrior. His skin was wet with sweat and without any conscious thought; his hands went to the seams of his under suit. He paused abruptly when he heard her sharp intake of breath. _Civvies... _"Apologies, ma'am. Would you mind me removing some of this suit?" He watched for her reply.

His hazel gaze seemed to hold some hypnotic quality because it took her a few moments to process his question and reply. "Venra…my name's Venra, soldier. You don't have to call me ma'am." She scrubbed a hand across her face, trying to force her mind back on track. "I don't mind if you make yourself comfortable, as long as you're decent, but I would like you to explain what you said."

He stopped his movements and cocked his head in what she could have loosely labelled an appealing fashion if it weren't for the greyish tone of his skin and the lines of exhaustion around his features. "What do you mean by decent?"

A three second glare showed he wasn't playing games with her. She blinked and gave him an appraising look. "It means 'clothed to a suitable degree of modesty for the scenario'." She was eyeing his skin tight under suit. "What do you wear under that?"

His expression didn't change; no sign of a smirk or any act of crudity. "Nothing…" was his straight-faced reply.

Her mind betrayed her at that moment and she fought the blushing heat that was creeping in to her cheeks. Fortunately fine details weren't clear in the lamp light so he probably wouldn't notice. "In that case, leave them as shorts if you don't mind. I know you have a blanket and it's dark, but still…" She dragged her mind out the gutter and continued. "Now what about my explanation?"

"Apologies…Venra. I have spent my life among brothers. We are one and the same – nudity is nothing of note to us. We don't have contact with normal people. I was forgetting about your presence as a female civilian." His apology was polite and to the point, but he settled for just removing the top half of the suit for the time being. "ARC Lieutenant N-6; I'm an Advanced Reconnaissance Commando…ARC. My rank is lieutenant and my designation is N-6. We don't have names but our designations define what we are. Alpha ARCs have a number preceded by A. Regular commando squads have the prefix 'RC' to their designation….regular troopers would have 'CT'." He looked a little distant as he thought through his place in the army. "Most clones have names though, between us brothers. My sergeant gave us names. We were the first batch; a failure, hence my prefix 'N' – it means Null. We were meant to be terminated but he saved our lives – he gave me the name Kom'rk." He was a little surprised to have explained so much; he was usually more reserved, but the pain of fire in his body was breaking his focus. He had means of making his body cope with pain, but it didn't leave him at his most aware. She didn't feel like a threat to him but she was getting increasingly edgy as the night came down around them and he didn't understand why. She had said they were safe in here, and he had trusted her. He was now too far gone; too ill to do anything but sit it out. It wasn't comforting to be incapacitated while she grew more fretful. "What's wrong?"

She had moved further along the wall, putting herself as far from the entrance as possible. She didn't get a chance to answer; the scuffling of claws started in the larger chamber above them. Thin growls and anticipatory whines filtered down the shaft as the scrabbling draw closer, showering dust down the short tunnel towards them. For a brief second there was a flash of claw and a long snout strained in to view. Venra had her hand clamped to her mouth to keep her sobs silent, but she was trembling in fear and jerked with every flash of claw or shower of dust. Despite her fear of him, she found herself edging closer to be within arm's reach of him; desperate for some sort of feeling of security. "Th-they can't get in." Her voice was small and barely audible.

Now he understood; they were safe in the cave because the narrow aperture that they had squeezed through was not wide enough to allow any of the creatures through, but having them so very, very close really was unnerving. If he were more conscious, he would probably be feeling the fear more, but he felt as if he were hovering on the precipice of another fit and it was doing all he could to keep his cool. He could offer her no protection from her fear but he reached out to gently touch his fingers to her hand where it rested on the floor between them. His own hand was trembling just as much as hers was and he found himself giving a short laugh – but it was a laugh borne out of exhaustion, pain and fear – a disconnected reaction to the events unfolding around him. It was going to be a long night for Venra, but he was sure he wasn't going to be conscious for much of it, and for that, he felt guilty. He gave his medkit a final scan but there was still nothing he could take. He could take more pain relief in the morning but for now he was just going to have to hope he eventually passed out. "Venra?"

She glanced up at him, the edge of her blanket pressed to her mouth. She didn't reply but she was obviously listening.

He lifted his medkit and tossed it well out of reach. "Don't give me any more medication, no matter what I say to you tonight, don't let me have anything. There are binders in my kit; bind my hands if I look to be losing my sense of self." He tried to still his shaking to fix her with a strict gaze. "Promise me? I've taken the maximum dosage possible for the next twelve hours, okay?"

She stared at him for a few long moments and then nodded once. "I promise, but will you please put your blasters out of reach while you're ill?" She looked scared to make such a request of him but he returned her nod and pulled the power packs out; handing her the packs and tossing the useless blasters on top of his kit.

"Deal."

* * *

**_Thanks for reading. This rewrite is growing on me, despite being unsure of making her into a true character. Hopefully the 'new' Kom'rk is enjoyable to everyone else as well. He's very different to how I first wrote him. ~ Atin _**


	5. Chapter 5

_**AN: A little bit in reply to my last review – since I can't reply to a guest review. **_

_**His coherence varies through the last chapter – it was a clumsy attempt at showing why he doesn't trust himself completely towards the end. I was trying to show that when he fits, he is confused and disorientated before. My research seemed to indicate the fitting doesn't always manifest in the spasm we primarily associate with it, but people can just stare in to space, or make repetitive movements, or even just act abnormally – so that is why he swings a little between being confused and acting a little strange, to being much more coherent. And the things he is saying don't involve too much thought – they're solid things in his head, completely second nature to him to know the ins and outs of their codes – I tried to keep the sentences in his spiel of dialogue short to indicate some degree of clipped-ness as he think from one thing to the next, without as much flow as you might normally have in conversation. **_

_**The binders – he doesn't know how he will act – his coherence changes with the fits and we all know what a knife edge the Nulls walk with control. He is just being cautious for her sake, that if she feels unsafe with him – if his behaviour becomes in any way threatening to her – she obviously can't leave the cave but he is offering her the safety of containing his movement. **_

_**And finally, his blasters, I must have just phrased that poorly. They are useless because he has taken the power packs from them. Again – it's for her comfort – if he handed over the working gun, he could easily wrestle them from her if he wanted them back, but if he splits them apart – if he acts out of character – he has to find both bits before he can do any harm. He doesn't fear handing her a functioning weapon – she already has her own, even if she can't shoot straight – but also, if she had wanted to hurt him, she would have done it before trying to make him better. And he doesn't need them to be functioning while they are in the cave because the creatures are far too big for there to be any risk of them getting in. They will try – and terrorise them – but the entrance is too small for them to be any risk at all.**_

_**Hopefully that clears up any holes in the last chapter **_

_**~ Atin**_

* * *

Red Eyes – Chapter 5

The deck plates clattered as Vau thudded in from the awkward docking between Jaing's small craft and the Aay'han.

"He's in the medbay of Plo Koon's flagship." He didn't need to be asked; the look on Kal's face was enough to show that this was the question waiting to be answered. "He's doing fine. I had antibiotics and he had a pretty well stocked medkit on board. They've got him in bacta for a few hours." He looked past Kal to catch Ordo's eye.

The Captain had a stern expression on his face, masking whatever he was truly thinking. "It's been over twelve hours since we last had contact with Kom'rk. What's the plan, Kal'buir?"

_There was a scared little boy under there – it was unusual for Ordo to question his own plans – the Null undoubtedly had a strategy for every scenario._

They stood in silence for a few moments while Kal ran through his mental itinerary. There was so much going on at once, it was becoming hard to keep control of it all. _There had been the stress of having Ko Sai's data but with no means to use it…the planning of the escape route…having everyone spread to the four wind…Etain out on the battle field while Kad stayed home with no true parent…his own estranged daughter missing…and now he had two boys who needed him and he couldn't split himself in half to be with both… _"Ord'ika, you go with Walon. You have Kom'rk's last known location so pick up where Jaing left off. I'll take his shuttle and go to be with him. If they have him in bacta he'll be a handful when he comes round at the other end." He ran a hand through his grey hair; surprised that he had any left to fret with. "They don't know what to do with an agitated Null."

He took a few steps towards the docking hatch and then turned to pull Ordo in to a tight hug. "Be careful, son." He released him and turned to face the taller mercenary. "You too, chakaar; no more casualties."

_Only a year ago, his relationship with the patrician like mandalorian had been frosty; in the years before that, they'd fought bitterly, often with the desire to kill. He didn't know where exactly they stood now, but there was at least a truce. Despite their fundamental disagreements, they'd been united by the common desire to do right for their boys. It may manifest in different way, but ultimately they had the same aim. Vau cared for his commandos but he had shown it in fury and anger; making sure they had the killer instinct, rather than giving limitless love in the way Kal had. He had been near death when they'd plucked him from the frozen depths of Mygeeto but the 'donation' made to the cause had been enough to support his endeavours with Kyrimorut. Was it worth nearly dying for? Well, that could only be decided by the man who went through it, and Vau seemed to hold no grudge about his near death experience. In fact, he seemed to have shrugged it off as if it never happened. _

He gave Ordo a final pat on the shoulder and briefly clasped arms with Vau. "Keep me informed."

* * *

Ordo would work with whoever he was told to by Kal'buir, but he always grated off of Vau. They had landed and quickly realised that there was no way they could start tracking at night. Mird had made it clear on no uncertain terms that they had company the minute they'd let the ramp down and when they concentrated, they could see the movement in the darkness – so they had shut up the ramps and locked themselves in until day break.

His plan had been to track Kom'rk's armour in the same manner as Jaing had done, but he couldn't find the track at all. He didn't know if it was due to damage to Kom'rk's armour system in the intervening hours, or if it was somehow out of range. If they locater had been slightly damaged, then the signal would be weaker and it was just possible that this was limiting the range of their own technology. It left them with little options for the night other than to simply sit it out.

Vau had taken to bunk in the crew quarters and was sleeping peacefully with his armour stacked neatly on the floor. Logically, it made sense to get some rest, but the casual manner with which he acted gave Ordo the impression that he didn't care. It was going to be near forty-eight hours since they'd received the emergency beacon and that was unacceptable, especially when it was one of his brothers. It was going to be the longest hours until the light reached a satisfactory level for them to start the search and Ordo anticipated a few tense words before the sun had risen in the sky.

* * *

Kal stood quietly outside the medbay, his head cast down the ground as he chewed at the ruuik root with a rapid motion not dissimilar to a gdan. It calmed his nerves although the taste wasn't particularly pleasant. There were worse habits he could have developed, so he stuck with it. He almost swallowed the sour pulp as a hand came down on to his shoulder and made him jump back to reality. He looked up and was drawn tight into an embrace. "…Mer'ika, son…it's good to see you." He stepped back to arm's length so that he could look up in to his son's face. All his commandos were a good head and shoulders taller than him. _They'd been raised on an impeccably balanced diet and were designed to achieve perfection. They had reached around 6 foot and levelled out; a perfect combination of body frame and muscle balance. Sometimes Vau gave the impression of being taller than them but it was a trick of the eye. He just carried his muscle leaner than the clones and moved with the upright air of nobility. Kal, on the other hand, had led a hand to mouth existence as a battle field orphan and had never achieved the same large frame. He made up for his lack of height in other ways. Being a good mercenary was all about knowing how to make best use of what you had. He didn't need to be a wall of muscle to be good. _He gave his son a smile, reaching up to ruffle his hair. "Ordo sent you to look after me, didn't he?"

Mereel returned the smile with his own endearing grin. "He said you'd need some muscle to deal with Jaing. Let's go and rescue the medics before he flattens someone." He led the way back in to the medbay and through to the bacta tank area.

Two clone medics had set up the equipment to drain down and release the Null and had started work. Mereel stood just out of their way, watching every move with keen interest; always willing to learn something new.

The tank was drained down and retracted so that the senior medic could administer the medication to bring Jaing back to full consciousness. They both had him half way out the tank when the full affect finally reached the Null and he reacted violently, trying to wrench himself free of the hands supporting him.

Mereel was ready for this and stepped in the pin his arms gently behind his back and steady him before he injured either of his medics. _Bacta tanks reminded them of gestation vats and then the later constant threat of chill down. Jaing always fought when regaining consciousness after a dip; no matter how many times he experienced it, his subconscious reaction was to flatten everything within reach until he regained his full functions. _They guided him to lie on the bed and Mereel slowly released his hands; resting one forearm over his chest to keep him contained, while stroking his wet hair back from his face with the other. "Udesii, vod'ika, you're safe. Just the usually drill." He took the towel from the medic and began to rub his brother dry, letting Kal take over the comfort role.

The medics had continued to work around them to complete all the vital checks which usually took so little effort – nowhere in the training had they mentioned cantankerous walls of disobedient muscle.

The senior medic, who had introduced himself as Tenn, paused to check the results on his data pad. He looked from the two Nulls to Kal, and then back to his patient who was now more lucid and seemed content to be pinned down by his brother. "I want to keep you in for 24 hour observation. You're bloods still aren't quite right. We'll give a further dose of antibiotics then you should be fit to leave. We'll reassess in 24 hours anyway. Get some rest." He turned to leave them; moving on to the next patient requiring his attention. The medbay was relatively busy and it was clear that they were treating the aftermath of a large battle.

Jaing blinked a few times, beginning to feel the chill until Mereel seemed to read his mind and tuck a blanket tightly round him. "Kom'rk?" His voice was hoarse but held a tone of anxious desperation.

Kal leaned forward to smooth a hand over his hair and down the side of this cheek, scratching against stubble. _They never think of themselves._ "Vau and Ordo have continued the search. If they haven't got him by the time you're released then we'll join them to help but Ord'ika should be able to continue you're tracking." He reached subconsciously to touch his comlink, wondering if he might have missed a message but of course there was nothing yet. _Give them time._

"Get some rest, ad'ika. You've been through a lot today."

* * *

_**A quick update on what is going on with the other parties in this story. Back Kom'rk and Venra next time. ~ Atin**_


	6. Chapter 6

Red Eyes – Chapter 6

It was fully light when Venra's companion finally woke. She'd sat by his side for the past few hours; pleased that he was breathing well and that the fever had dropped – but unable to wake him. He looked a little confused as he blinked up at her, but that was only to be expected in the scenario. When he tried to move he made a gasped exclamation of pain; his hands going to his broken ribs and then up to touch the gash around his eye. His chest and shoulders were showing some impressive bruising but it was his face that looked worst. All around the eye socket and cheek was swollen and a deep purple. She reached for the painkiller that she'd had ready for him and jabbed it into the left hand side of his neck.

He flinched more than she expected, his hand going to his neck and then to his sore eye, passing his hand before his face in an experimental manner.

"I can't see properly." He didn't sound worried, but she could tell how startled he'd been by her approaching in a blind spot. "I can only see blurry shadows on this side." He moved so that he could see her properly with his good eye. His gaze was all encompassing as if he were absorbing every detail and committing it to memory. The poking and prodding had started the bleeding again and it was trickling down his cheek, smudged around where his fingers had played over the skin.

Venra reached for bit of semi-clean fabric and wetted it in the clean water, using it to mop up with flow and clean away some of the dirt. It didn't make a huge difference but it was the best that could be done. She'd used the remaining wound treatment from their combined kits to treat the infected lacerations. _That had been a matter of life and death; there was no option there. _"Even if I had medical skills I wouldn't have the equipment to do anything." She gave him a soft look, gently touching around the wound with her smooth fingers. "I don't know about your sight, but that's definitely going to scar, soldier."

"Kom'rk, ma'am." He reached in to his kit belt to pull out a knife and began to shave with it; drawing it confidently over his skin without any need for lubrication or a mirror. He gave an air of composure which didn't fit with her perceptions of a man with traumatic injuries. It seemed a strange thing to fuss about doing when trapped on an infested island, but it was comforting routine and habit to him.

"My name's Venra, not ma'am." She didn't mean to sound quite as indignant but she was distracted by the sight of his unorthodox shaving method. It was ridiculously masculine in a way which tickled her feminine side. She watched him use his fingers to check and keep the line of his facial hair neat. "Don't you use a razor…?"

He gave her the barest of glances then returned his attention to his task. "Your name is Venra – my name is Kom'rk, not soldier." His movements were hypnotically regular and steady. "This leaves no trace of my presence – no scent of fancy products – it's practical and efficient. That's how I like to be. The knife is as sharp as any razor."

She sat back against the wall and watched, combing her fingers through her untidy hair. She hadn't taken any cares to personal hygiene and his fastidious attention to detail was making her feel somewhat lazy. In reality, it was more to do with the fact she had been alone and there was no means to wash and keep watch to protect yourself. She'd spent every day looking for resources, raiding her crashed ship and keeping safe in the den. She waited until he had finished and pocketed his knife again before speaking. "Kom'rk, would you mind standing guard so that I can wash in the river. I don't feel safe trying to protect myself." She blushed as she suddenly realised what she'd asked, but he didn't seem fazed at all. "I'm sorry to ask, but I can't shoot well…and I couldn't wash and hold the gun at the same time…" She trailed off, staring hard at the stone floor and only giving him quick glances to assess his reaction.

He was completely non-plussed, merely giving her a quick look and a nod. "Of course, just give me two minutes and then I'll be ready." He hauled himself to his feet and limped for the entrance tunnel, reassembling his blasters as he went.

Venra leap to her feet, nearly smacking her head on the stone ceiling of the cave. "W…where are you going?" She found herself uncharacteristically panicked by the idea of her new found companion leaving her. A night at close quarters and her battle to get him through the worst hours of illness had been enough to cement the beginnings of a bond._ At least from her perspective she was feeling the attachment to another human being, who knows what he was thinking._

Kom'rk paused and looked back over his shoulder, giving her a small smile. "I'll be two minutes – no longer. I'm just going to use the facilities we _don't_ have in this cave, okay?"

He had an endearing smile. Still a little menacing but she was beginning to see past that now to the man underneath.

He left her in the cave and wriggled his way out, giving the surroundings a thorough check before moving from the safety of the entrance. Both blasters were ready to fire, should anything take an interest in him but it seemed relatively quiet at the moment. He stepped a few metres away from the entrance to relieve himself out of her line of sight – letting his attention wander the forest around them. The area around the cave and river was less densely forested than much of the planet and that made it a good defensive position. He could keep an eye on them without tree trunks obscuring his vision.

He found a good spot to sit and rest, where he could watch over her and keep them safe without compromising his need for rest. He was careful of his watch while she bathed; ensuring that he looked past her and not at her. It was necessary to keep her in his sights so that he could do his duty, but he wasn't going to deny her privacy when he could accommodate it to a certain degree.

She had kept her back to him and ducked down in to the water, scrubbing her hair and combing it free of knots. There was nothing to wash with, but it was nice just to get in the water and remove some of the ingrained blood and grit. Whenever she felt his patrolling gaze pass in her directions she was sure her skin glowed like a beacon.

When she had finished bathing and dressed again, she came to join him by the cave entrance; sitting companionably in the sunlight, enjoying some of the daylight hours, secure in the knowledge that he was keeping them safe. She was a little concerned about the lingering effects of the clawed wounds because he slipped into a bout of fitting twice during the afternoon, but it seemed to be relatively short lived and harmless. He was more predictable now and seemed to be able to tell when they were building. He said his mind went foggy for a few minutes before the seizure started. The convulsions lasted for less than thirty seconds and he would come to in a rush feeling nauseous; once he had thrown up and had a few sips of water the cycle was over and he would be back to normal again.

It was so different to her experience with Sonne.

Her husband had been clawed and bitten trying to protect the family – his injuries were similar to Kom'rk's but he had collapsed and never woken up again. He hadn't suffered and he certainly hadn't gone through the pain experience that the soldier had. The toxin had just taken over his body; his temperature went sky high as the infection set in and he passed away in hours. _No chance to say goodbye, but he hadn't suffered and that was some consolation. _She was thankful that the same thing hadn't happened to her new companion, although it had been hard to watch him in so much pain. She had been scared that he was going to die, because it seemed so cruel for him to go through such distress if he was going to suffer the same fate as Sonne had. It had been quite overwhelming to see him begin to wake that morning, and ever more pleasing to find that he was feeling so much better. The antibiotics he carried in his medkit had undoubtedly been the turning point for him – without them she was sure his body would have lost its battle during the night. They hadn't been strong enough to complete solve the problem and whatever damage the toxin had done must be causing the fits, but it was good enough for now that he was alive. His injured eye was a concern too – without any more bacta there was no chance of treating it, so it was going to leave a nasty scar. The scar didn't seem to be a concern to him but she could help speculating what could be done if she could find something to treat it with. She didn't know enough about herbal treatments to go looking for plants so all she could do was hope that he regained his sight. _Could a soldier do his job with only half his sight? He seemed perfectly capable of protecting them as he was so maybe his other senses made up for it._

They retreated into the inner chamber of their den when the sun began to go down.

Again, Kom'rk noticed her getting more and more anxious as the terrifying noises drew closer. When the claws started to scrape down the tunnel towards them she let out a strangled squeak and drew her knees up to her chest to bury her head in them, her hands tight over her ears. He watched her for a few moments, giving the tunnel a few glances but he knew the creatures couldn't claw away the solid stone tunnel walls so he shuffled along to sit beside her, gently prying her hands from her ears. "Venra, they can't get you in here." He forced her to look at him. "I promise you're safe in here. Just go to sleep and it'll all be over when the sun comes up."

He knew that if he had been Mereel, he'd have known how what to do with a distressed woman…but he wasn't Mereel, and the female of the species were a complete mystery to him. It confused him how they acted so differently. _How were you meant to learn how to deal with them? Maybe this was something you learned when you grew up normally…he'd never know._ He placed a tentative hand on her shoulder, just slightly curled around her; enough to show he was there without risking being inappropriate in some way. He was taken aback a little as she melted into his side, her head resting on his bare chest and her hands clinging tightly to his shoulder as if she could bury herself in his body to escape the terror. He stroked at her hair gently, barely touching; scared that he would do something wrong while the warmth of her body against him did wonderful things to his soul. She was soft in all the places where he was solid muscle. He'd never felt something like this; the twist in his stomach as she re-arranged herself into a more comfortable position – her hand now absently stroking over his ribs. It was a warm feeling in his gut that he had only associated with occasional private moments of pawing at himself in confused wonderment. Kal had done his best when faced with the rigours of educating young men on the more delicate facts of life but some had turned out more 'aware' than others. Mereel, for example, had taken to the world of sex and women as if he had gleaned some special training on the matter. _Top scores there._ It wasn't a source of confidence in most of them, certainly not in Kom'rk. Having an understanding and putting it into practice were two entirely separate things, and he'd always been more content to spend time in his brothers' company than seeking out solitude to explore his own body. _Just occasional maintenance…that's all it was to him…but having her warm skin pressed up against him was – pleasant – in more ways than just the sharing of body heat._ "Kuur…kuur…" _It was automatic to slip into mando'a – he only ever found himself in the position of comforting others who understood the language. _

She didn't care that she didn't understand. His tone was comforting and his body was a warm haven away from the noises and terror above her. Her hand brushed against the blaster at his hip and she let it pause on the grip. His long fingers gently moved hers back to his stomach, encouraging her to resume her small strokes.

"I think you need lessons to shoot before you touch one of those. Safety first, Ven'ita."

And that was what brought them to be standing outside the den the following afternoon, arguing good naturedly about her ability to shoot straight. The blaster was set so low that it would barely burn the skin but she'd still discharged it unintentionally across his forearm as he tried to offer advice. It had barely burned but it was enough to make her hand shake with nerves and her following shots went even wider. She was now standing facing him, trying to convince him that there had to be a better way to learn than this long winded, boring method he insisted on…maybe another technique would work better…a bigger target…an easier starting point…

The next minute she was on her knees; hands clasped to her chest in glassy-eyed disbelief. Blood was running over her clasping hands and pooling on the stone under her knees.

He was by her side in an instant, supporting her as she collapsed to the ground in a series of ragged pants and moans. _She was crying his name, sobbing and desperate for his help_. He was multitasking, bringing his body over hers so that he was squatted over her protectively while training his own blaster in the direction that the projectile had to have been fired from. A third part of his brain was trying to play catch up and had processed that there had been no sound of the discharging weapon so the attacker must be carrying a verpine – silent weapon technology – not a standard fools gun. _Not a sniper rifle though – too poor a distance shot for a rifle – that would have been instant death._ He pressed a large hand over her own to help the attempts to stem the bleeding before raising his attention to the tree line; the sight that met his eyes was enough to make him halt in his tracks.

_No…no…it couldn't be true._

* * *

**_Thanks for reading - slower to update this than I would have liked but it is graduation week and everything is so very last minute with me. This time tomorrow it'll be over and I can breathe a sigh of relief. Hoping to have the other chapter outlined soon since I have a two hour ceremony to sit through...I'm sure I can get the next chapter thought out in that down time. Keep the brain occupied! _**

**_We've reached the point at which it went wrong last time round...looking back on the changes and wow, what a different place for Kom'rk to be! _**

**_Oh...and I'd love to say 'sorry for the cliff hanger'...but I'm not sorry at all. :P_**

**_~ Atin_**


	7. Chapter 7

Red Eyes – Chapter 7

_Ord'ika…no…_

It didn't seem fair. _It wasn't fair._

He lowered his blaster slowly and dropped so that he was on one knee, still crouched across Venra's torso. With the weapon laid aside, he could get both hands working on the wound. He had nothing but himself – his own hands – not a scrap of first aid material to bring in to use.

_Ordo; standing frozen with his verpine still raised – it was impossible to see if he was frozen in shock or lining up the next shot because his helmet obscured his features. _

Walon Vau stood to his left, raising a hand to gently grasp the Null's arm to break the spell. To his right…Bardan Jusik...

_Why was Jusik here? They didn't usually send Jedi after a lost ARC._

The sight of Ordo lowering his blaster snapped the tension that seemed to be holding the moment in suspension.

"Medic!" Kom'rk glanced down at the blood oozing between his pressing fingers, feeling her heaving breaths under his hands. "Sergeant Vau!" He pressed harder and heard her gasp sharply at the pressure on the damaged tissue. The verpine was a dangerous weapon even in amateur hands, but in his brother's grasp…it was an instrument of death. He rolled her slightly, using his knee to hold her in position and felt along her back. _No exit wound. _Was that a good or bad thing? He wasn't sure in this case. It meant there was a projectile still lodged in her chest cavity, but it also meant only one wound to work with. He let her roll slowly on to her back again and hushed her fretfully as she cried out in terror and pain. "Kuur, cyar'ika, kuur…" She was pale and trembling in shock. _How could so much have gone wrong in minutes?_

He could hear the clatter of boots covering the distance between them.

"She wasn't an enemy!" He wanted to grab his brother – shake him, maybe even strike him – but he stayed on his knees over her, pressing hard on the bubbling chest wound. "She saved my life. She's a good person…a caring person…why did you shoot?!" It was hard to pull his mind in to rationalism. All he could do was scream his frustration.

Vau dropped to his knees beside them, pulling his first aid kit from his belt. He eased Kom'rk's fingers to the side for a few seconds to inspect the wound, and then replaced them hurriedly. "I think we need to call upon your skills with the force, Jusik. She's going to bleed out before I can do anything to help her." He was completely calm; he was always completely calm. Nothing seemed to fluster the man. If a wound was beyond his skills as a field medic then the prognosis was usually pretty poor. He balanced his special gift in interrogation with an equally accomplished ability to treat any injury that may arise – at least until medical aid became available. If he was on your side, you were fortunate, but if you were sat opposite him in an interrogation you'd wish you were dead.

Jusik squeezed in between the armoured bodies, placing his hands on top of Kom'rk's and squeezing his eyes shut to get a picture of the damage. "I think I can keep her together until we get back to the ship. It's too dangerous to start a healing trance out here."

Ordo had been standing to the side, watching the events unfolding. He had shot as soon as he saw an unknown person pointing a gun towards his brother. It didn't matter whether she was a good shot or not…she was an unknown – a threat. He had acted on his training. Soldiers didn't always wear uniforms. His brother was obviously injured and he had reacted to protect him. _He had been sure he'd done the right thing. She was collateral damage – but his brother seemed completely distraught._ He stepped forward to shadow Jusik as the Jedi lifted the woman in his arms. It was surprising what the smaller man could do, but then he did have the force to call upon for assistance. Ordo was to act as his eyes and ears as they ran; protecting him from any dangers because the act of using the force to stem the bleeding required a degree of his concentration, leaving him vulnerable to attack.

That left Vau to get the injured Null moving. Kom'rk ran the first few minutes with relative ease but as they reached the forest he began to stumble and limp. He was trying to keep up but his leg kept buckling under him. He had to keep up…for her sake…he couldn't leave her to panic alone. The adrenaline had carried him initially, but without it he felt every pain. His chest and ribs ached with every breath and the pounding vibrations of his steps brought stabbing pains through his skull and down the damaged side of his face. His leg was on fire, not just in the wounds which had barely begun to resemble clean, never mind healing, but in the muscle and down to knee. The joint wasn't willing to lock properly and take his weight, leaving the muscles to spasm and ache. He nearly hit the deck when the joint gave out completely but Vau caught his arm and hauled him to his feet. He tried to mumble an apology but it was enough of a struggle to keep gulping in enough oxygen to run. He may have been feeling comparably well while sitting idle by the river, but when asked to test his body in light activity he found how much of a strain it was still under.

* * *

It took a long forty minutes to get back to the Aay'han. Ordo looked relieved to be able to lay his burden on to the bunk in the medbay and leave them while he prepped the ship for take-off.

Vau pulled open the drawers and found the stash of medication, quickly administering a painkiller, blood loss agent and a stim to their patient while Jusik tore the material of her tunic away to give better access to the wound.

The stim brought her back to full consciousness but she was too exhausted to scream anymore. Kom'rk stood stiffly by her head, taking her hand and stroking her hair as she was prepped for the attempt at force healing. "You're safe now,Ven'ika. We're leaving and you're going to be fine. I promise it's all going to be okay now." It was only due to Jusik's skills that she was still alive. She should have bled to death at the scene – Ordo's shot was deadly accurate – it was only the distance that prevented it from being instant kyr'am. The rocking motion as the Aay'han took off tipped him off balance and he let out a forced whimper. His mind was foggy and hazy but he forced himself to concentrate so that he could ease her nerves. He had no idea if force healing removed the pain, or whether she would feel the projectile being removed. She looked oddly calm for now, considering she was stripped to the waist, covered in blood with an unknown Jedi preparing to use something she had no grasp of to treat her. Her hand trembled a little in his but she was stoic and silent.

Her eyes were a pale blue and they held his, misting slightly as the pain increased for her. She squeezed hard on his hand and jerked a little, biting through her lip. A light clatter indicated the projectile being dropped in to a small container. She sagged visibly with relief, obviously aware that something unusual was happening to her.

Kom'rk was dimly aware of Vau touching his arm and asking him something but it was like listening from underwater; everything was getting distant and garbled. Ordo had come to stand in the doorway now that the ship was set on course and he appeared to also be trying to get his attention. No matter how hard he tried, he could make out what they were saying. Venra was squeezing hard on his fingers; jerking his hand to try to get his attention but his fingers slipped from hers as he lost consciousness.

Vau managed to catch him and slow his descent to the deck. He had been half expecting it; the commando had been looking more and more pale as the minutes passed. His dusky skin was burning hot and he found himself holding him steady as his body twitched and jerked in a wave of fits. Ordo had rushed to his side to help and together they man handled him on to the other bunk. Jusik had looked up from his position over Venra, asking silently if they needed help but Vau shook his head. "I'll deal with him, just focus on her. He needs antibiotics and fluids, I can manage that." He injected a trio of pre-measured syringes in to the Nulls arm and began to peel away the damaged and dirty undersuit. "He's not injured – he's ill. The wounds are full of toxin. He needs antibiotics and bacta on the cuts. I can deal with this. He'll be okay. I practiced on his brother…"

* * *

_**Thanks for reading. Been a bit of a gap because I've been working on the physical costume. Torso plates are done, attached to vest and I can now stand with it on and say 'shab, beskar'gam's heavy'!**_

structuresque. deviantart art/ Atin-Bralor-vest-and-plates-468823891

_**Copy, paste, remove the gaps if you'd like to see. Good feedback and very happy with it myself - feels very real, very heavy.**_

_**I have another chapter for the Atin Bralor ficlets. Just need to find the time to write it. There's not enough hours in the day.**_

_****_~ Atin_****_


	8. Chapter 8

Red Eyes – Chapter 8

They brought the Aay'han out of hyperspace to allow a transfer with the Republic cruiser. It was a tense moment; a large part of Ordo wanted to send his brother on the return trip but he knew in his mind of the risk he would be at with the loss of sight and the neurological damage from the toxin. If they sent their vod to the medics on board a cruiser they may end up with another Fi scenario – and it would be hard to sneak him out again from somewhere like that.

It wasn't worth the risk. The injuries made him too…disposable…maybe his value as an ARC would save him from termination due to the eye injury, but if the fits didn't stop he'd be a liability to himself out alone on a mission. Clones were seen as disposable. _His brothers were not disposable._

It was too dangerous; too high a risk to Kom'rk - more of a risk than treating him in secret would be. _Secret, they could do, but they couldn't protect him from those willing to terminate rather than treat._

So they had to keep a low profile. As far as the Republic was concerned, they were merely stopping to collect Jaing, Mereel and Skirata.

The medbay was silent anyway; Venra slept soundly, exhausted by the process of force healing. Jusik had managed to repair the internal damage enough so that bacta treatment was all that was necessary. If it hadn't been for his presence though, it would have been an entirely different outcome. She lay on her back with a large patch over the entry wound and a fluids drip in her arm. Kom'rk was awake, but barely. He couldn't sleep for the throbbing pain, although he was exhausted and a little disorientated. He zoned in and out of the haze, aware of Kal's comforting presence at his side until he eventually managed to drift off to sleep.

He had no idea how long he slept for but when he woke he could no longer see the glint of the gold armour by his side. It took a few moments for his mind to clear enough to focus. "Mer'ika?"

Mereel was stretched out in a chair that he'd pulled up to the bedside but he sat up with a broad smile. "Ah, verd'ika…only you could get yourself nearly killed on an uninhabited planet." He gave a slight nod towards the other bunk and raised an eyebrow. "And find yourself an acquaintance…" He had his usually playful grin in place despite the seriousness of the situation; he always covered any nerves with an extra façade of humour.

Kom'rk made a face, neither annoyance nor quite recognition. "Leave it, 'Reel, she went through a lot. They got her family and she's lost everything…and then Ordo shot her." He tried to move position to get more comfortable, but let out a squawk as the movement stretched the claw wounds on his thigh. His shoulder felt better; still achy but not as painful as the wounds inflicted by the creature pushing against him. The thigh wounds had ripped across a greater distance and after Venra's work to cut them open, they had become a large open wound. He had the comfortably numb buzz from strong painkillers so it was only when he stretched them that they spiked pain.

Mereel got up to stand over him, pulling away the blanket to get a look – always curious of a new type of injury.

Kom'rk made a noise of indignance and grabbed at the end to pull it back up. "Mereel!" He tried to glance across at Venra but his brother's bulk was in his line of sight so he settled for smoothing out the blanket to distract himself. He had learned a few hurried lessons about modesty at her hands and he wasn't comfortable incurring her wrath.

Mereel gave him a look and shrugged his shoulders to indicate the female. "She's asleep, vod'ika…anyway, when she wakes up she's going to definitely swoon for the blonde brother." He had his usually mischievous grin in place. He grabbed the blanket again and rolled it to the side so that he could see the wounds. "Wayii, ner vod, what was it that grabbed you?" He took the thick, gloopy bacta gel that they had appropriated from the medcentre before leaving and squeezed a large blob over the damaged skin; smearing it across with a light touch.

Jaing had cursed fluently in several languages when he'd applied some to his shoulder, but Kom'rk was drugged enough to limit his reaction to a mere violent flinch. "I didn't stop to ask its name…" he growled through gritted teeth, rolling on to his side with slow care so that his shoulder could be treated as well. He fisted his fingers in the bedding burying his face in his arm, glad of Mereel's steadying hand keeping him in position. His body ached in every way possible. The sharp pains had been eased by the pain relief but the underlying ache of broken bones was still present. Every breath reminded him that his ribs and back had been cracked off of rocks during his trip down the river.

Somewhere along the line he had crushed his left side against an outcrop of rock. At the time he'd felt his knee dislocate but before he got out the water it had slid back in to place; at the time he'd been relieved because a dislocation was agony but now the damage to the joint was starting to make itself known. He'd smashed his head on that same disagreeable rock resulting in the deep and painful gash around his eye, and what was undoubtedly a cracked cheekbone. He didn't know if it was that which was making him fit or if it was something from the toxin. He'd never had a head injury that caused seizures but he had seen how a bad concussion had incapacitated both Ordo and A'den during training.

He hissed through clenched teeth as Mereel gently laid him back flat. "Where are we, 'Reel?" His anger towards his brother had melted away as quickly as it had formed. It was hard to stay angry with someone so close. Instead he just felt the overwhelming sensation of being out of control. The last thing he remembered was trying to stay awake while Jusik dealt with Venra. Now he'd lost all sense of time. "You weren't with us…"

Mereel hushed him, stroking his hair and squeezing his hand tight. "Udesii, vod'ika, it's okay." He was a little confused by his brother's swinging moods but then he had done himself a lot of damage before Ordo and Vau had come to the rescue. "You're on Kal's Aay'han…do you remember coming onboard? It was Ordo, Vau and Bard'ika who picked you up. Ordo stopped to collect Kal, Jaing and myself about six hours ago. You've been sleeping, ner vod..."

Kom'rk gave him a wide eyed anxious look. Maybe he did remember Kal sitting by his bed…maybe just the flash of gold in his memory. In a moment of panic he swiped his left hand out to the side, suddenly terrified of a forgotten memory creeping up in his new found blind spot. His hand hit the steel bulkhead with a resounding crash before his brother could grab his arm and subdue him. "…'Reel!" His heart was hammering against his ribs and the prickly feeling at the edges of his consciousness heralded another painful jolt into seizure. It was terrifying now because his mind and body shut down from each other. He could feel Mereel keeping him safe on the bed, preventing him from thrashing himself on to the floor but he couldn't do a thing to help himself. It was only when the stomach churning nausea swept over him that the involuntary movement ceased and he could lay still, panting to try to keep it at bay. He felt Mereel's hands on his arm, palpating for a vein. His mind was playing tricks on him again and despite being aware of his brother's blonde hair and blue eyes – his current choice of disguise – the fuzzy sight in his limited vision was disconcerting. He could see the shadow of a stranger, but the hands on his skin were familiar and comforting.

"I'm going to give you this…okay, Kom'ika? Just to help you sleep the rest of the journey." Mereel had the needle lined up with the vein but would never do anything without a brother's knowledge and the best intentions at heart. "We'll be by your side. Just let yourself rest and get better, vod'ika." It was a heartfelt plea.

Kom'rk flinched slightly as the needle penetrated his skin but the feeling of the sedative flooded his system in seconds, carefully measured to tip him in to a calm sleep without making him feel like he was out of control. He could feel the hands that spoke familiarity and safety stroking over his skin, and he allowed himself to relinquish control to the medication and slip in to a more restful sleep. He had tired so quickly; it could only have been ten minutes of interaction but it had pushed his body in to a seizure. All he could do was hope that the more rest he got, the better he'd feel on waking. He wanted to check on Venra's progress but he was just too exhausted now to move and it was all he could do to manage a sleepy yawn as he closed his eyes to rest.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The room had changed when the sedative wore off and Kom'rk found himself staring at a darkened wood panelled ceiling. The room was lit by the natural flicker of firelight.

He slowly shifted so that he could get a look at his surroundings. His sight in his injured eye had gotten worse; he could no longer see the blurry shadows. It was all solid darkness with occasional flickers of red.

"Hello, Kom'rk.'' Fi was laying on his side in bed at the other side of the room. He was thinner than the last time they'd met but it was only to be expected considering the injuries he had sustained. He struggled to eat enough to keep up with his metabolism, even with Parja making all sorts of tasty treats. It was easy to think only of the brain damage sustained but he had also suffered a ruptured spleen and the medics had removed it to prevent fatal bloodless, but unfortunately this had left Omega's sniper with a damaged immune system. He'd been plagued with constant illness as his damaged body attempted to heal. Whenever he got better from one thing, he would catch another virus. Each hit him much harder than it had the original carrier and for those reasons Kom'rk had limited his visits to Kyrimorut. The Null worked his way through all the weird and wonderful illnesses that his Outer Rim travels could throw at him, but he didn't want to be bringing them to Fi.

"Fi…" He blinked, trying to improve his sight but it made no difference. _He was home; Kyrimorut. Home meant safety._ "...I shouldn't be near you, Fi...but I'm well right now…" He hadn't caught anything transferable on his brief and unpleasant visit to that hostile planet.

Fi gave a small noise that was nearly a laugh. "...pain." His smile twisted in frustration as he struggled for the right word. "...hurt. You are hurt. Not well." He was a walking miracle considering what he had been through, but the art of speech was still a difficult one to relearn.

Kom'rk let his eyes drift shut again with a grin. Fi was right of course. He could feel the warm haze of strong painkillers in his system and was glad of it because he knew it would be bad without them. He was starving but he had no idea what time of day – or night – it was. Fi would be resting during the day just as much as at night because he tired so quickly. He craned his head to see if there was a chrono in the room but it was a typical rough vheh'yaim room; all timber with rough plaster. It was basic but still much more homely than even the finest of Coruscanti apartments. It still had an unfinished feel, but so did the rest of the bastion. It was a huge project to complete even for the ever optimistic Kal Skirata.

"Hungry?" Fi seemed to be able to read his mind. It wasn't so much a question as a mere statement of fact. Clones were always hungry…it was just a matter of a sliding scale from peckish to famished. "Parja cooking." There was a hint of pride in his voice when he mentioned Rav's niece.

Kom'rk grinned happily. He was glad that something good had come out of Fi's catastrophic injury. "How is she?" There as a note of humour in his tone. "You've fallen on your feet there, my lad."

The blush crept across Fi's cheeks but he didn't deny it. "Fallen _at _her feet few times." He motioned to his head. "Shabla balance all to osik."

"_Well done, cyar'ika, we're seeing more and more of your humour every day. Kandosii!"_

They both leapt at the voice in the doorway. Neither had noticed her standing there, which was both humorous but also depressing for men who had been trained to be elite commandos. She was holding two steaming bowls on a tray with a platter of doorstep slices of bread and butter.

Kom'rk's stomach snarled at the wonderful smell wafting across to them and he struggled to pull himself more upright. Jaing squeezed past Parja to help his brother get comfortable, fluffing up the pillows and smoothing the blankets. He took one of the bowls and perched on the bed, holding it for him so that he could spoon up broth with his uninjured arm.

_He felt guilty; instead of rescuing Kom'rk in those crucial early hours he had ended up having to be carried out himself. What kind of brother was that? They all worked independently, but the pair of them where often in contact and working on the same brief, and somehow he felt partly responsible. If he'd taken this assignment instead, his brother wouldn't have been injured. Maybe if he'd done something different on the early stages of the mission they might never have needed to visit the planet. It was all going round and round his head. And worst of all, he had been taken for advanced treatment in bacta for one cut, while here was Kom'rk with deep lacerations, a few cracked ribs, a terrible eye injury and seemingly endless bruising…and he was having to suffer it out in bed, slathered in bacta gel and dressings on the worst areas. _

Kom'rk didn't seem to hold any ill feeling because he smiled up at him and began to spoon the broth as if he'd never eaten for months. That's what a few days enforced hunger did to a man with rapid metabolism!

Fi was less enthusiastic; although he enjoyed Parja's meals, he hated soups because he ended up with most of it down his own chin. It was good coordination practice, but it was cruel making him lose dinner when his hand wobbled. But even slathering half of it down his front was better than a few months back when she was having to feed him like a baby. His recovery was miraculous, thanks to Jusik's hard work, but it was still humiliating to think back to the months where he was bathed, changed and fed like an infant. He couldn't believe that in those terrible months, she had seen something she desired in him. He had been ready to write himself off as a disaster, condemning himself to a half-life, but Parja had fought on with seemingly limitless patience to get him to the stage he was at today. He could walk, with assistance from an old hunting spear that made a more dignified aid than a cane.

Jaing pulled the bowl back, ignoring his brother's growl of frustration. "Don't bolt your food. You know better than that. You won't keep it down if you don't take it easy." He lifted a slice of buttered bread and smeared some type of preserve over it generously. "Here, eat this slowly."

Kom'rk looked as if he were going to argue but he admitted defeat and took the slice, sniffing the tangy sweet jam on top. This was the type of home cooking that they so rarely got the chance to enjoy. This was the future they were all looking forward to; freedom and good food.

He watched Parja. She was sitting on Fi's bed, wiping up any spills that found their way on to his chin. She had a devoted patience in every action – completely devoted to the injured sniper. While many would see a severely damaged man, Parja saw her soul mate. In a strange way, the explosion had been the best thing to happen to Fi. He had found love in the most unlikely of scenarios.

He polished off the bread, making sure to chew it slowly enough to convince Jaing to give him back the broth. He was so hungry and right now, all he wanted to do was get it down and have some more sleep. Everything was so much effort and even spooning up soup was exhausting.

He munched on doggedly until the bowl was empty, then mopped up the final dregs with more bread.

Jaing placed the empty dish back on to the tray and took two small bowls of nuts and dried fruits. It wasn't a pudding – but it was a little sustenance and sugar for when the patients needed it. He'd already set up his own bedroll in the room so that he could be there to keep an eye on Kom'rk through the night. He seemed much perkier with some strong meds and tasty foods, but he'd witnessed him slip in to seizures three times since arriving and Kom'ika didn't remember any of them…he'd been barely conscious. Mereel was being devotedly kind to the young lady, Venra; in true Mereel style, and Ordo was sticking with Kal'buir. It had been a highly stressful few days and the brothers were all concerned with their father's wellbeing. He always put his own comfort aside when helping his boys, but now it was time to make sure he was cared for too – even if they did it discreetly.

Parja had helped Fi out of bed and steadied him so that he could limp across the room to the small attached 'fresher.

Kom'rk's eyes were already slipping shut when Jaing gently nudged him. "Do you need to go before I leave you to get my own dinner?" He gave in to the urge to smooth his brother's hair back from his face; it was an act of comfort, as much to himself as to Kom'rk. Contact was important to them. They'd grown up side by side for pretty much every moment of their lives. It was always good to reach out and feel the closeness of a vod.

Kom'rk blinked heavily, unable to keep his eyes open for long. "Wha?" He was being dragged down in to sleep as if it were a weight tied around him. The bed was comfortable and he felt safe, truly safe for the first time in ages.

"The 'fresher, vod'ika…before I leave you to rest?"

Kom'rk gave a small nod of understanding then a bigger shake of his head. "No, Jaing. Just sleep." He blinked to watch Fi settling down to rest as well. There was something satisfying about sleeping with others in the room. It was like being back in the barracks. They had always shared a room but then when they were shipped out it suddenly became an issue of rank and they were rarely together and certainly never allocated shared quarters. Being an ARC of any rank got you a little privacy; even for A'den as an NCO.

Jaing stood up and careful drew the blankets around his sleepy brother. "Okay, vod'ika, sleep well." He moved over to ruffle Fi's hair as well. "You too, F'ika. I'll be joining you both later."

Kom'rk snuggled down in to the blankets as the door clicked shut, listening to Fi's breathing as he let sleep wash over him, revelling in the comfort that could be gained from such a simple sound.

The drugs were probably some little help as well…

* * *

**_There's something highly pleasurable about writing scenes with food...I seem to be drawn to them like a moth to the flame. ~ Atin_**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

In true Mereel form, the exuberant Null had offered to take their female guest her meals. She was restricted to bed rest for at least a week until the chest wound had healed up better. Undoubtedly, Bardan's force healing talents had saved her life, but she still needed time to recover. It was lonely to be stuck in a room all alone so Mereel felt it was a good host's duty to keep her company.

Parja had prepared a nourishing broth with would be light on the patient's stomachs and he had poured a generous bowl and taken it through on a tray.

Venra was awake already so he greeted her softly and placed the tray on the bedside table. "How are you feeling?"

She tried to pull herself upright but winced as it tugged at her wounds. She gripped his arm tightly as he eased her up against the pillows. The strength in his body was amazing – he moved her as if she weighed no more than a feather. It still made her chest ache and she couldn't help but groan. When the pain cleared, she looked up at him, searching his face. "Kom'rk?" The facial wound had gone, and he didn't have the same facial hair, but who knew how long she'd been out before she regained consciousness. She didn't even know where she was.

Mereel looked confused for all of a second before giving a soft laugh and a shake of his head. He'd washed the blonde dye from hair and was once again looking much like his brothers. "My name's Mereel, cyar'ika. Kom'rk's my brother. I guess we look alike." He grinned at his own joke and fluffed up her pillows. "My brother's a little more reserved than I am, but I'm working on him. He spends too much time in the shebs-end of nowhere."

Venra held her hand out to shake Mereel's, moving carefully to protect her wound. Instead of grasping her hand, the smiling clone lifted it to his lips and placed a kiss on her fingers before gently lowering it back with all the care she herself had given. He certainly was bolder than Kom'rk had been. He had a personality which bordered on egotistic but somehow clawed back from that precipice enough for him just to be cheekily dashing.

"My apologies, Mereel, until I met your brother, I had never seen the men beneath the armour. I suppose I knew you were all identical, but it's hard to get your head around that concept when you're a civilian." She frowned slightly, touching a shiny scar on his bare forearm. "I guess you all have distinguishing features."

Mereel quirked his head a little, surprised that a civvie would admit their faults like that. Usually they were complaining about the presence of clones troopers, unless of course they were there to protect their community, and turning a blind eye to the injustice of their treatment. "We certainly do…but we don't need them to tell each other apart. We all have different tones, personalities, behaviours…we're as individual as any other beings. Clones become very good at reading body language. And that's a valuable skill to have, so it's not all bad." He picked up the bowl of broth. "Can you eat a little? Parja's determined to keep everyone's health up."

Venra accepted the bowl and took a small spoonful. It was tasty enough despite its lack of substance. "Is Parja the lady with braids and overalls?" She had vague memories of being bathed and placed in bed by a young female but it was all rather hazy. She was just pleased to hear that there was one lady in this home other than herself.

Mereel snorted with laughter. "Yep, that'd be Parja. She's our gotabor…our engineer…she fixes everything. She's even fixing herself a man." He waited for the inevitable questioning look. "She's looking after one of our men who was badly injured. He has brain damage but between Parja and Bardan, he's slowly regaining himself. He always wanted to get himself a nice girl…it's just a shame he had to go this far to do so! I could have shown him the ropes."

Venra ate some more of the soup before questioning any further. She didn't think she could eat the whole bowl…they seemed to go for very large portions here…but she was enjoying it. Despite that, she still needed to ask one more question before Mereel left her. "Is Kom'rk okay?"

She couldn't stop thinking about him, despite their brief time together, she found herself immensely concerned for his wellbeing. She'd done her best on the wounds but that wasn't to say it was enough. If only she could get on her feet, she'd go searching for him, but there was no way she could get out of bed without assistance.

Mereel felt the concern radiating from the female. There was a definite, tangible drive in her emotions. He may not be force sensitive, but he could pick up these details in her tone and body language, even if she didn't know she was displaying them. "He's doing okay, cyar'ika. He's resting as well. We had to sedate him because of the fits he was having, but we're gradually reducing those meds to see if they start up again. His eye is still a bit of an unknown quantity until we can get the doctor here to look at it. He certainly won't be going back to war; he's home for good, just like Fi."

"Can I see him?" She was already trying to push herself and swing a leg over the edge of the bed.

Mereel restrained her before she could fall, lifting her and repositioning her on the mattress, ignoring the nails that dug in to his flesh like claws. "You're not going anywhere right now, but you can see him in a few days when you're both feeling better. You'll hurt yourself if you don't take it easy and we're still undergoing construction here so you don't want to be wandering around alone." He tucked the blankets back up and took her hand, squeezing comfortingly. "We'll keep you updated but you need to relax and let the bacta do its job. We don't have a tank so this is the best we can do for now and it'll take a little longer. Trust me, okay?"

He had an open and honest face and she found it easy to nod back, despite still having that driving desire to get to Kom'rk. She knew she wouldn't make it even as far as the door, but rational thought had never featured in the equation. "Okay, but please, let me know how he's doing. He helped me a survive…I need to know he's okay." She grasped Mereel's hand in her hers. "Please…"

Mereel gave his most convincing smile and gently pried his fingers free. "I promise you that if anything untoward occurs I will personally ensure you are aware. And I will keep you updated on his progress." He picked up the tray with the half-finished cooling broth and prepared to leave her. "Try to get some rest. You'll feel better."


End file.
